B7n Application of Regional-Sectoral Assessments (RSA) to Extractive Industries
Friederike Kirstein, Environment Canada, Canada
William Veerkamp, Shell International Exploration and Production, The Netherlands
Key issues to be addressed
Position Paper:
Increasingly, early and regional consideration is being given to the impacts of extractive industries prior to the development of new areas. Broad-scale assessments can be employed to achieve a number of objectives. For example, they can be used to determine if a given area is appropriate for the development of a particular industry taking into account sustainability criteria. In addition, they may facilitate the canvassing of public perspectives and their consideration in decision-making.
A session will be organized to share the experience of extractive industries with regional-sectoral assessments (RSAs). The objectives of the session will be: (1) to account for experience with RSA to date, (2) to highlight benefits and challenges of this experience, and (3) to reflect on innovative practice and lessons learned. Discussions on the logistics of current experience (e.g., Where is RSA being done? Why? How?) will be complemented by a consideration of the success of RSA in meeting its objectives.
Questions and themes for discussion will include:
• Experience of RSA with respect to tiering (links with project EA and SEA)
• Experience of RSA in facilitating stakeholder involvement
• Consideration of alternatives in RSA
• Experience or potential of RSA to consider sustainability
• Benefits of RSA in project development
• Benefits of RSA for environmental protection
• Decisions being made on the basis of RSAs and the information required to support these decisions